Quinnen Williams primed for dominant Jets season — starting with Week 1

Quinnen Williams’ vision for himself this season is not all that complicated.

“Dominant football player,” the Jets defensive tackle said Friday.

Amazingly, Williams is entering his sixth season with the Jets. He is the last first-round pick by former general manager Mike Maccagnan and the only starter on the Jets left from the last time they faced the 49ers back in 2020.

Despite his longevity, it feels like there is another level for Williams to find this season. He is still only 26 years old and he seems to improve every season.

“I feel like I’m going in the right direction to be that dominant football player and that game-changer,” Williams said. “I just have to continue to scratch and claw to get closer and closer to that player that I really want to be.”

Jets will be without Haason Reddick for opener as contract holdout continues

Some people will look at his stats from last year and say he took a step back. Williams went from 12 sacks in 2022 to 5.5 sacks last season. But if you actually watched every snap, you saw Williams’ effect on games. He was a constant presence in the opposing team’s backfield despite being double-teamed on a whopping 70 percent of his snaps, according to ESPN data.

There is a fitting description of Williams that people use as a guy who [bleeps] things up for offenses. He is disruptive, and you can bet 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has spent this week talking to his offense about how to block No. 95 on Monday night.

This could be a monster game for Williams. While the 49ers have a star-studded offensive lineup, the weakness is in the middle of their offensive line, where Williams lives. Left guard Aaron Banks was ranked No. 60 out of 79 guards last season by Pro Football Focus. The right guard is Dominick Puni, who will be playing in his first NFL game after the 49ers took him in the third round of the 2024 draft.

It could be a long night for those interior offensive linemen dealing with Williams, who will have new acquisition Javon Kinlaw alongside him.

Jets’ Jermaine Johnson pushing to make another big leap in Year 3

Jets left guard John Simpson spent the summer going against Williams in training camp. Simpson, who signed with the Jets in March, said Williams is a “dawg.”

“He’s special,” Simpson said. “He can do it all. He has power. He can throw some speed in there. He’s really intentional about what he’s going to do before he does it. He always has a plan.”

With Aaron Donald retired, the position of top defensive tackle in the NFL is vacant. The Chiefs’ Chris Jones, Dexter Lawrence with the Giants, Christian Wilkins with the Raiders and Jeffrey Simmons of the Titans are all in the conversation with Williams.

The Jets signed Williams to a four-year, $96 million contract last year as a sign of their belief in him. Just this week, Williams’ teammates made him one of the four team captains.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR STARTING LINEUP NEWSLETTER

This is the first time that Williams has been named a captain, a sign of his growth as a leader. Williams’ talent has been undeniable since he was at Alabama and the reason why the Jets drafted him with the third overall pick in 2019. But Williams is quiet by nature. He has grown into being a more vocal leader.

“I would say the past few years that’s kind of been his M.O.,” said linebacker C.J. Mosley, who has been here for Williams’ entire career. “His physical play has always been there. Just him growing into his leadership role and understanding his play only goes so far. His voice is going to speak way more volume off the field with our team and with our defense. He’s definitely finding his voice as far as being a leader.”

One of the main stories surrounding the Jets at the moment is Haason Reddick’s holdout . Without Reddick, what will the Jets’ pass rush look like?

Williams could have something to say about that. He can open things up for teammates on the edge by drawing blockers and force quarterbacks into the pass rush with pressure up the middle.

On a Jets defense filled with stars, there is not a more important one than Williams. You can expect to see that Monday night. You can expect to see a dominant football player wearing No. 95.

For the latest in sports, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/sports/